“Don’t put your kid down. Let them dream as big as they want and teach them everything you wish someone would’ve taught you as a kid. Remember those things, and you’ll be great.”

“What are you teaching Caleb that you wish someone had taught you?”

Jax looked at Caleb, who was flipping through a coloring book with Amanda and making her laugh. He was clearly being a goofball. She thought of the homes she was bounced between as a foster kid and the happiness she felt once someone finally believed she was worth keeping around. Jax turned to Wyatt and his big, curious eyes. “I’m teaching him to be himself.”

Chapter Three

8 days, 2 hours, 9 minutes

The hospital room was full of Gatorade and apple juice, but not one bottle of water. Jax dropped the shopping bag on the nearest chair and huffed. Amanda was supposed to stop by to relieve her, but she was running behind. They’d agreed to switch on and off for mornings and evenings, managing some semblance of normalcy and routine. Not that watching Gretchen’s freakishly still eyelids would ever feel normal.

“Good morning, Jax,” Dr. Melendez said too cheerfully as she entered the room. “I know a resident was in earlier to take vitals, but I wanted to check in on you to see if you have any questions or concerns.” She rubbed her hands together after dispensing a small bit of hand sanitizer into her palm.

Jax was momentarily surprised into silence. She hadn’t seen Dr. Melendez more than three or four times since Gretchen’s accident over a week ago. “I don’t really have anything.” She tried to rack her brain for anything Amanda would ask. She was always better in these situations. She was known for her million-questions mind. “Nothing’s changed.”

“That’s not entirely true. Gretchen is stable, which is good news. Her latest scans do show some healing, but it’s just not progressing as quickly as we’d like. We’ll continue to keep an eye on her vitals and her brain. We won’t keep her like this any longer than necessary.”

“And then what?”

“Then we stop the medication and wait for her to wake up.”

“Do you think she will?” Jax said earnestly.

Dr. Melendez had very kind dark eyes. They brimmed with sympathy as she looked at Jax. “I can’t say for sure, but we’re doing everything we can.”

“What about us? What can we do?”

Dr. Melendez smiled. “Just keep showing up. Talk to her, make sure your son does, too. Surround her with all the reasons why she needs to wake up. There’s no medical proof, but I believe human connection can be the biggest key to surviving. Some patients read to their loved ones, while others talk about their day like they were sitting at the dinner table. Find what works for you.”

Jax nodded, not fully believing a conversation could save Gretchen’s life, but she didn’t want to be rude and blow off the advice. “Okay, I think we can do that. I can bring Caleb back after he gets out of preschool. Lord knows he always has plenty to say then.” She forced a smile Dr. Melendez quickly mirrored.